“The Talk’s” Sharon Osbourne Explains Why She Stopped Wearing Fur

Sharon Osbourne is the latest celebrity to take a stand against animal fur. Although The Talk co-host wore fur coats during her music-managing and The Osbournes days, Osbourne is now resolutely fur-free. She credits People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and its video exposés for changing her mind. “I was educating myself through documentaries on what goes into actually making these fur coats and fur scarves that I was wearing, and when I realized how it was done, I was sickened,” she said in a statement. “I was absolutely sickened by it.” Now, Osbourne is teaming up with PETA to speak up for the smallest victims of the fur trade—chinchillas—while urging shoppers to leave fur and fur trim out of their closets.

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In a video released this week, Osbourne reveals the horrors experienced by chinchillas that are bred for their fur. Despite being naturally social, captive chinchillas are isolated in filthy cages until workers break their necks or electrocute them.

“Toe-to-ear” electrocution, she explains, immobilizes chinchillas but leaves them fully conscious as they experience the pain of full-blown cardiac arrest.